I have been clean now for 15 days from Tramadol please help cannot sleep?

I have been clean from Tramadol for 15 days now,after abusing these pills for almost two years. I was taking 15 plus pills a day. I went cold turkey because I do not have health insurance and going into detox was out of the question (too many responsibilities). I do feel great, but the insomnia is driving me crazy. Crazy thing is that on Monday night I slept all nite, but Tuesday night was horrible. I did go to the pharmacist and asked and he told me to take melatolin and or benadryl. Am i going to go through this every night or just until my body regulates itself. I do not want to take ambien as I know myself too well and I would probably abuse them. Please help if there is anything else out there that can help. I am desperate and need to sleep. I have a full time job and I deal with people all day long, therefore I cannot afford to be drowsy. Please help.

Responses (5)

Your situation sounds a lot like mine. 400MG a day for 3-4 years. I went Cold Turkey about a month ago. I run a business, and had to have time off to get thru this messed up time. For the insomnia for the first 14 days only i found an over the counter medication called "Resta vit" im not sure what country you are from, or what its called there, but the main ingredient is doxycylamine sulfate (Not sure if spelling is correct) this really helped me at night to fall asleep. you dont need a prescription for it, just an understanding chemist.

The other question you have to ask yourself is why you were abusing tramadol in the first place. For me, i was self medicating to help with my depression, now that i am free of the drug, i feel proud to of beaten it, but my depression is back, and im not sure what to do about it. i would also advise you to get fit if possible. the better your health is, the better you feel. the better you will sleep. i hope this helps... good luck, but you have already achieved a great result as the first 14 days are the hardest..

I've been free of tramadol for quite a while now, I was up to 20+ pills a day. I still don't sleep well without medication. Over the counters don't help at all anymore. I do take Ativan for sleep and anxiety, however haven't been tempted at all to abuse them. I misused tramadol for the energy, weight loss, and help with my fibro. Therefore, since Ativan doesn't give me energy, or weight loss, or pain help, I have no desire to take them incorrectly. The previous poster is correct, figuring out WHY you were abusing the tramadol will definitely help in deciding how best to treat your insomnia. Good luck!

Hi luvy,Eventually your body will repair itself, and sleep you will! Until then try the Melatonin and Benardyl. There is also a Tea called Sleepy Time Tea, it tastes like barf, but if you add enough honey maybe you can gag it down?When you do sleep, do you have strange and vivid dreams/nightmares?I sure did when I cold turkeyed off prescribed OxyContin.Best wishes, and I hope you get some zzzzzzz's!sweetlemon

What about kava kava capsules. Someone on this site suggested it on this site to help me relax, because I have bad anxiety. I did try melatolin, but it did not help.

IN

Inactive23 Sep 2010

I don't know about kava kava, but you sure sound like you might need a benzo, like Xanax (generic is inexpensive) or Valium.Make a doctor appointment and discuss your anxiety situation. That is no way to live! At least not comfortably.Good luck,sweetlemon

Just a suggestion, go to YouTube.com and put in Tramadol withdrawal and see if any vids pop up. I am pretty certain something will and then you will see real live people who have had a similar experience talk about what happened with them. If you find one that is too negative/scary, turn it off and go to the next. It will give you an idea of what might help. Also, if you start walking ( if you can, if you are disabled don't do it) it will help release endorphins that will do a number of beneficial things to help you get over this tough time.

I would certainly try what the pharmacist recommended. Also try the walking like patti suggested. However, do it early in the day as it will make your feel good endorphins kick in and give you energy. So avoid exercise, walking, eating meals before bedtime. A calm, dark, quiet environment will help too. Good luck on finding that elusive sleep!Chris